Villarreal held to Granada stalemate in 2021/22 opener

Villarreal were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw in their 2021/22 La Liga season opener at home to Granada.

Neither side were able to find a breakthrough on the night on the Spanish east coast with the hosts frustrated not to pick up all three points based on their chances on home soil

The Yellow Submarine looked bright in the opening stages with summer signing Aissa Mandi poking just wide and Yeremi Pino denied by Aaron Escandell.

Escandell continued to be the key man for Robert Moreno’s side before the break as the club’s stand in stopper produced a key stop from Gerard Moreno.

Unai Emery’s side struggled to maintain that intensity after a string of changes after the restart with Manu Trigueros blazing over an excellent chance with 20 minutes left at the Estadio de la Ceramica.

Villarreal’s chances of nicking a late winner were essentially ended in the final minutes as Juan Foyth was dismissed for a second yellow card.

Up next for Emery is a trip to newly promoted Espanyol this weekend with Granada at home to Valencia.

Images via Getty Images

Tags Aissa Mandi Gerard Moreno Manu Trigueros Robert Moreno Unai Emery Yeremi Pino
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